Dr. Thomas Städler
Dr. Thomas Städler
Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Systems Science
Additional information
Research area
I am a population geneticist with broad interests in evolutionary biology, mechanisms of speciation, and genomics. More specifically, my long-term research uses large-scale sequencing studies to address questions in molecular evolution, demographic history and the impact of mating-system differences, using wild tomatoes as a model system (Solanum section Lycopersicon). Moreover, in collaboration with a network of tomato genome biologists, I have contributed to analyses of the domestication history of the cultivated tomato, a commercially important crop.
A second, more recently started line of research concerns postzygotic reproductive isolation in the tomato clade, taking advantage of variable proportions of hybrid seed failure among different pairs of taxa. Specifically, I am interested in (possibly perturbed) genomic imprinting and other epigenetic phenomena and evaluate their potential roles in contributing to hybrid seed failure. To these ends, we employ controlled crosses in the greenhouse, laser-assisted microdissection of different seed components, and high-throughput transcriptome sequencing.
Professional Experience
2013–present Senior Scientist, Plant Ecological Genetics Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2008–2012 Senior Assistant, Plant Ecological Genetics Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2001–2007 Research Associate, Evolutionary Biology Group (Prof. Wolfgang Stephan), Department Biology II, LMU Munich, Germany
1998–2000 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
1997–1998 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Zoology, University of Frankfurt, Germany
Education
1988–1997 PhD studies on the population genetics of freshwater snails, Department of Zoology, University of Frankfurt, Germany (several research stays abroad)
1983–1984 Exchange Student at Trenton State College, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
1980–1987 Diplom Studies in Biology (Major Zoology, Minors Botany and Biophysics), University of Frankfurt, Germany
Additional information
* 2015-2020, Associate Editor for the international journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B
* 2011-2022, Member of the Steering Committee, Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center (PSC)
Course Catalogue
Autumn Semester 2024
Number | Unit |
---|---|
701-1413-00L | Population and Quantitative Genetics |
701-2413-00L | Evolutionary Genetics |